Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20240714

We start in the us state of louisiana, which has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm barry approaches hurricane strength and nears landfall. New orleans is bracing itself as the storm approaches shore. The city has already seen severe rain and flooding. New Orleans City Council says it is as prepared as it can be, and has told residents to stay indoors from tonight. The bbcs sophie long joins us now from new orleans. How severe is this storm predicted to be . A state of emergency was declared he had three days ago in the state of louisiana so the message was for people to take the threat of this storm very seriously. In the past few hours, we have watched people make their preparations, families filling sandbags to stalk shore up their properties. The mayor of new orleans has urged people to stop their preparations now and go home. She said they should do that by 8pm. That time has now passed. As you see, there are still a few people out and about but not many. I am on canal street in the French Quarter in new orleans. This is normally a very busy street at this time. I should say that what people are really worried about here is not the wind, we have heard about wind speed and whether they will reach 7a mph which would make Tropical Storm barry a hurricane, what people are most concerned about here is the rainfall. There are estimates of between 12 and 2a inches of rain to fall between 12 and 2a inches of rain to fa ll over between 12 and 2a inches of rain to fall over the next 408i was. This ground is already saturated, the street you see behind me was flooded just two days ago after a thunderstorm downpours then. That was just the prelude. Thunderstorm downpours then. That wasjust the prelude. We havent even seen the main event yet. They are expecting storm barry to make la ndfall are expecting storm barry to make landfall in the early hours of tomorrow morning. It is after that we are told, throughout saturday into sunday, that we will really feel the persistent rain. That is what people are most worried about. The river mississippi isjust a what people are most worried about. The river mississippi is just a few hundred yards away from me, that is already with record levels. They are expecting the combination of rainfall with a storm surge to come up rainfall with a storm surge to come up the mississippi from the gulf of mexico and could push those levels to historic highs and dangerously close to the tops that the levees can cope with. I was going to ask about that. We all remember hurricane katrina, how prepared are those new orleans levees to take this new battering . No one here has forgotten the catastrophic flooding that came in the aftermath of hurricane katrina. I should say that the flood defences and drainage systems have been updated, they have been strengthened, millions of pounds have been spent doing that over the past 14 years. But we heard from the mayor of new orleans today that with the amount of rainfall that with the amount of rainfall thatis that with the amount of rainfall that is expect it to fall over the next 48 hours, there are very few systems in the world that can deal with those levels. It is a combination of factors that they are dealing with here, record high river levels and record high rainfall expected over the next few days. One of the problems is that the storm has been so slow moving, it has been hovering off the coast of louisiana for some days gathering strength and gathering intensity. So we wait and see what will happen to those defences. Most people i have spoken to here are confident that they are not going to see the kind of flooding that they saw in 2005, that was catastrophic, the levees burst in so many places and new orleans was deluged. More than 1800 people lost their lives. Most people you speak to here are confident that we are not going to see anything like that, but of course, that is something that still looms large in the imaginations of people here. Very few people are not taking the threat of this storm seriously. Sophie new orleans keeping us up to date on the latest with that storm as it comes closer to making landfall. Turkeys defence minister has sought to reassure the United States after ankara took delivery of a Russian Missile defence system. Hulusi akar says its acquisition of the s 400 system does not change turkeys position as a nato ally. It comes at a time of deteriorating relations between the two countries. Washington has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the deal. Ramzan karmali reports. The arrival of a shipment from russia. On board, the s400 anti aircraft defence system. As the Missile Defence system was being unloaded, the diplomatic row over turkey buying it from the russians continues. The us is angry with its nato partner. But turkey remains defiant. Translation as we always say, the s400 is a done deal and the process continues on course. We are coordinating it in terms of flight and personal permits. Our Defence Ministry has made the necessary statement. Currently there is no problem, and the delivery will continue in a healthy way. The us has warned turkey that it cannot have both the s400 anti aircraft defence system and us f35 fighter jets. It says it will compromise the safety of the planes. Turkey has signed up to buying 100 of these warplanes. It has invested heavily in the f35 programme. In fact, hundreds of the planes parts are made by turkish firms. Americas acting defence secretary was hosting his counterpart from uzbekistan. Before their meeting started, he reiterated the opposition from the us. Before we begin, let me say that we are aware of turkey taking delivery of the s400. Our position regarding the f35 has not changed. And i will speak with my turkish counterpart this afternoon. Turkey has argued that the two systems would be located in separate locations. Ankara also blames the us for being too slow to offer an alternative Missile Defence shield. The deal with russia was worth 2. 5 billion. But it could prove even more costly. Not only does turkey risk expulsion from the f35 programme, it may also face economic sanctions from the us. A risk that president erdogan is willing to take. Prosecutors in the case against the billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein have alleged that, late last year, he tried to pay off two potential witnesses against him. He has pleaded not guilty in a new york court to charges of trafficking underage girls for sex. The case has now forced the resignation of President Trumps secretary of labour, following renewed scrutiny of his handling of similar charges leveled against epstein in florida a decade ago. Bill hayton reports. A show of unity outside the white house, President Trump made clear his support for his embattled labour secretary. Despite a week of criticism. It all goes back to a plea bargain that alex acosta made with Jeffrey Epstein plea bargain that alex acosta made withJeffrey Epstein in 2008. Granting apps dying immunity from federal prosecution if he admitted a less serious charge. Mr trump didnt think that was a problem. He made a deal that people were happy with and 12 years later they are not happy with it. You will have to figure all of that out. The fact is he has been a fantastic secretary of labour. And alex called me this morning and wa nted alex called me this morning and wanted to see me, i actually said, well, we have to press right out here so perhaps you just want to say it to the press . Mr acosta will step down in one week, he said he didnt want his connection to the case to become a distraction. Didnt want his connection to the case to become a distractionlj dont case to become a distraction. dont think it is right and fair for this administration to have epstein as the focus rather than the incredible economy that we have today. So i have called the president this morning, i told him that i thought the right thing was to step aside. On monday, Jeffrey Epstein was charged by prosecutors in new york with two charges relating to the sex trafficking of children. If convicted, he could face 45 years in prison. Acosta has welcomed new charges against epstein but refused to comment on whether he should apologise to the victims in the florida case. President trump, who once described mr epstein is a fun guy who was a lot of fun to be with, has tried to distance himself from the case. Losing his labour secretary might make that easier. Bill hayton, bbc news. At least seven people have been killed in a large car bomb explosion at a hotel in somalias southern port of kismaayo. Gunmen are reported to have stormed the building after the blast, which happened as regional politicians and clan elders met inside. The Islamist Group al shabaab said it carried out the attack. El salvadors total ban on abortion sees women and girls routinely imprisoned, even after enduring stillbirths and miscarriages. On monday, a 21 year old woman, who supporters say had a still birth, faces a retrial, on charges of killing her baby. She has to prove she didnt induce an abortion. Terminations are banned in all circumstances, including rape and a threat to the life of the mother. To the life of the mother. Women can face up to 50 years injail. From the capital san salvador, our international correspondent, orla guerin, has sent us this special report. San salvador. A city where catholicism has deep roots, and where the church has had a city where catholicism has deep roots, and where the church has had a commanding influence, and helped to ensure the total ban on abortion. A ban that has criminalised women like theodora vazquez. She went into labour alone at work and called an ambulance, which never came. Theodora says she fainted during the birth, and came to surrounded by police, accusing her of killing her baby. Last year, her 30 year sentence was commuted and she walked free, to be reunited with herfamily after a decade behind bars. Human Rights Groups says she is one of many women who lost their babies and were jailed for killing them. Theodora was already a devoted mother when she was convicted. Her son, angel gabriel, now 15, was just four years old when they were parted. Do you feel like you missed out on a lot of his life, on a lot of your sons life . Theodora says she was jailed for a crime she did not commit, by a society where men still have the upper hand. Some women and girls here do seek terminations, but the process has been driven underground. This doctor told me many of the women who come to him have actually miscarried, but are too scared to go to hospital in case staff call the police. He says most of his patients have been raped. There is so much Sexual Violence here. It affects almost 60 of my patients. Many are abused by gang members, and i see minors raped by a brother, an uncle, or a father. Im frustrated, as a salvadoran and a doctor, that victims are being punished by the law. And supporters say this woman, called evelyn, is being punished for a stillbirth. She asked us not to show her face. Evelyn told me she was raped as a teenager. She didnt know she was pregnant until her baby was born in a toilet. She was arrested in hospital and never allowed to see her sons body. After three years in jail, shes now facing a retrial. Campaigners say theyll fight on to free 16 women still behind bars because of the abortion ban. Many fear it will be a long march to justice and reform of the law. Orla guerin, bbc news, san salvador. The Us Federal Trade Commission is reported to have approved a 5 billion fine for facebook over its handling of users personal data. Republican members of the regulator are said to have backed the settlement, with democrats voting against. Facebook have not commented on the reports, but the tech company did tell investors in april that it had set aside money to pay for a fine. Joining us now from San Francisco is our north America Technology correspondent, dave lee. Remind us what facebook did to attract such a large fine. This all started, as im sure most of our viewers will remember, with the Cambridge Analytica scandal, something where data on facebook users was being scooped up by this political consultancy and being used to target advertising both here in the usa and in other parts around the usa and in other parts around the world. Since then, a number of privacy issues and scandals have engulfed facebook. What it meant was the us trade regulator at the federal trade commission began looking into whether facebook can be considered to have broken a promise it made back in 2011where it told the ftc, the regulator, that it would always seek proper consent from users to use their personal data and also be very clear about how their data has been used. The ftc has decided they went against that promise so the question has a lwa ys that promise so the question has always been what was the punishment going to be caught doing that. We know according to the reports, that 5 billion, the biggest fine ever levied against a Us Tech Company will be what facebook has to pay. But the second question that we are not quite clear on yet is what other measures there may be put in place against facebook. In particular, will there be more oversight over how they conduct themselves when it comes to data privacy . And also will there be any repercussions or the potential for future repercussions personally for Mark Zuckerberg the companys personally for Mark Zuckerberg the compa nys chief executive . Personally for Mark Zuckerberg the companys chief executive . They are the details that we currently dont know but what we do know is that this is an astronomical fine facebook. If it bears out that this fine is paid, how likely is it to hurt facebook and its bottom line . It depends on how you look at that as an equation. This is an amount of money that for a company like facebook which made 15 billion in the first three months of this year alone, 5 billion seems like a fairly small slice of that. But where this could get particularly difficult for facebook is what comes next. Many of the reactions we have seen today have been describing this fight as inadequate, historically hollow, like a mosquito bite or a parking ticket. So there are many here that think there needs to be added measures on top. One of those things could be more regulation, not just for facebook, but for Silicon Valley companies in general, tech giants in general about how they conduct their business. If facebook has to change its business model, change the way it makes money from that user data, that could have a much bigger impact on facebooks business as it moves into the future, much more so than any single fine could do today. Thank you for taking us through that and for some of those eye watering numbers as well. David lee our north America Technology correspond. Stay with us on bbc world news, still to come well have all the latest from wimbledon where Roger Federer has defeated rafael nadal in a nail biting semifinal. After months of talks and missed deadlines, a deal has been struck to keep greece within the eurozone. The immediate prospect of greece going bust in the worst crisis to hit the eurozone has been averted. Emergency services across Central Europe are stepping up their efforts to contain the worst floods this century. Nearly 100 people have been killed. Broadway is traditionally called the great white way by americans, but tonight it is completely blacked out. It is a timely reminder to all americans of the problem that the Energy Crisis has brought to them. Leaders meet in paris for a summit on pollution, inflation, and third world debt. This morning, theyjoined the revolution celebrations for a show of military might on the champs elysees. Finally, wildlife watchers in australia have been coping with a penguin problem. Fairy penguins have been staggering ashore and collapsing after gorging themselves on huge shoals of their favourite food pilchards. Some have eaten so much that they could barely stand. This is bbc news, the headlines braced for storm barry, louisiana has declared a state of emergency, with warnings of high winds and heavy flooding as the Tropical Storm gathers strength. Turkey has angered the United States by taking delivery of a Russian Missile defence system despite repeated requests to cancel the order. Police in the uk have begun a criminal investigation into the alleged leak of official communications from britains outgoing ambassador to the United States. The furore over the contents of sir kim darrochs emails, which were highly critical of the trump adminstration, caused the white house to refuse to work with the ambassador, and eventually led to his resignation. Dan johnson reports. Who leaked the documents that parted the president and ambassador and put the special relationship under strain . How did our man in washingtons frank assessment end up splashed across the mail on sunday . Sir kim darroch privately described the white house as dysfunctional, divided, donald trump as insecure and inept. Within days, the ambassador announced he would leave his washington residency, after the president fired back, calling him stupid and pompous, making it clear he wasnt welcome. A whitehall enquiry was started to root out the leaker, but tonight the metropolitan police announced it would take over. The assistant commissioner said there was even a direct appeal. There was even a direct appeal. Im assuming that it is a function of how seriously its being taken, the damage to Britains National interests here, and i think obviously the police have more investigative power, more tools at their disposal to find the culprit. I think its very important to find out who the perpetrator is. Today, the president was trying to be nice with some warmer words for sir kim. I wish the British Ambassador well, but theyve got to stop the leaking problems there, just the way we have to stop them in our country. Stopping more leaks is one challenge. Finding the source of this one will be tough enough. The american Singer R Kelly is in custody after being arrested in chicago on federal sex crimes charges. According to the Us Attorneys Office in chicago, the star has been charged on 13 counts, including on child abuse images. In recent years, the singer has pleaded not guilty to more than 20 sexual offences. Peter bowes has more. This aint my authority. The same charges that you had before . Is in there, right now, injail. A publicist under attack. His music star client behind bars. Demanding answers, the family of a woman who lived with r kelly in chicago. It follows the latest arrest of the singer, who is facing a string of fresh charges in chicago and new york. Kelly and members of his entourage are accused of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal Sexual Activity with the r b singer. He is also accused of later paying victims and witnesses to cover up his alleged crimes. These are the latest sex charges to face the embattled musician, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Last year, a documentary alleged that the singer was Holding Women against their will and running a sex cult. During a sometimes combative interview earlier this year, kelly said the allegations against him were all lies. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past, and what ive been through . Oh, right now right now ijust think i need to be a monster and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement. Kellys lawyer said the latest charges didnt come as a surprise, and that the singer hoped to be released from jail under a bail hearing next week. Peter bowes, bbc news. Tennis now, and Roger Federer has made it into his 12th wimbledon final. He won his semifinal over long time rival rafael nadal three sets to one. Hell now face Novak Djokovic on sunday who defeated Roberto Bautista agut in four sets earlier. Heres holly hamilton at wimbledon. We had to wait 11 years for these two to face each again at wimbledon, and it was worth the wait. There really is something about these two thatjust brings out the best of each other. We didnt get the five setter that we had back in 2008, but with four match points and lasting just over three hours, it was the epic match that we were all hoping that it would be. It was federer that started the strongest initially, kicking off proceedings with an ace, the first of seven in the opening set. And perhaps the number two seed was saving his energy. The pendulum swinging in nadals direction once again as he levelled the match. And then after federer moved back in front, we started to see signs of nadal showing frustration, just couldnt seem to find his flow. While federers body language, well, itjust didnt seem to change throughout the entire match, keeping his cool as nadal saved four match points as we hit that three hour mark. Federer then finally got over that hurdle at the fifth time of asking. It was much to the delight, i will say, of the crowd here behind me over on the hill. They actually come at one point, had to close it off because it was becoming just far too overcrowded, people getting very excited. We will let you know the outcome of that final on sunday. You might recall these dramatic images from paris from last april the scene of Notre Dame Cathedral up in flames, and its central spire collasping to the ground. Well, now the copper rooster which stood atop that spire has arrived, dented and bruised, at a worshop in southwest france. It was salvaged from the rubble inside the cathedral and is now part of the debate over how to rebuild the monument. Some argue it should go on display as a witness to the blaze. With the weekend upon us, the weather is looking generally dry and settled for many of us. It has been quite a warm, humid week, but actually things have been turning a little bit fresher. Through the weekend, plenty of spells of sunshine, one or two showers around. It wont be quite as hot and humid as it has been earlier in the week. The reason for the dry and settled theme is this area of High Pressure that is building its way in from the west. Slowly, that will squeeze away a ny leftover showers. We will still have one or two showers on saturday morning, particularly for parts of northern and eastern scotland. Later in the day, a few cropping up down the pennines, in towards the midlands, and perhaps the odd one reaching the south east of england as well. Elsewhere, a lot of dry weather. The cloud should thin and break during the day and allow some sunshine to break through. With temperatures in the region of around 17 24 degrees. So reasonably warm still through the day on saturday. Of course, the action continues at the championships in wimbledon. During saturday, we are expecting mainly dry, unsettled weather. There is just the outside chance of a shower or two. By sunday, it looks like things should be dry at wimbledon. So heading through saturday evening, you can seejust a few showers continuing through the spine of england. They should tend to fade away overnight as we move on into sunday as higher pressure builds in from the west. Temperatures a fraction cooler, i think, first thing sunday morning. It wont be too warm or humid. Some spells of sunshine from the word go for many of us, but still some patchy cloud drifting about. The wind turning more northerly, so that will draw in a bit more cloud and a bit of a cooler feel around these eastern coasts of england and scotland too. Just the off chance that we might catch one or two showers further west by the time we get to sunday. It will probably be warmest towards the south west of england and wales, 23 degrees there in cardiff, cooler where you have got that breeze coming in from the north sea further east. Of course, it is the british grand prix at silverstone on sunday. It should be dry, we are expecting a fair amount of cloud, 19 degrees or so with just a gentle north easterly breeze. And for the cricket World Cup Final as well at lords, a dry theme to the weather through the day on sunday. Not quite as hot or as humid as it has been. Then that largely settled and bright theme continues into the first part of the working week before it then turns unsettled from mid week onwards. Before i let you go, lets have look at what is happening on the other side of the atlantic because Tropical Storm barry is strengthening. It is likely to strengthen quite soon into a hurricane before making landfall in louisiana. This is likely to bring some very damaging winds, intense heavy rainfall as well as a significant storm surge which is bringing dangerous conditions and flooding through parts of louisiana. We have got more details on Tropical Storm barry on our website. Bye bye. This is bbc news. The headlines the us state of louisiana is bracing for the arrival of a potentially devastating storm that is currently gathering strength over the gulf of mexico. Its expected to make landfall within the next few hours. The us federal trade commision is reported to have approved a 5 billion penalty for facebook over its handling of users personal data. Republican members of the regulator are said to have backed the settlement, with democrats voting against. Facebook has been hit by a series of privacy scandals including one involving the political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica. Turkey has received the first shipment of a controversial russian air Missile Defence system. The United States has threatened ankara with sanctions over the purchase, which they repeatedly asked turkey to cancel